Gillard jokes with staff after farewell speech

Julia Gillard asked her staff to help her break the news to her cavoodle, Ruben, that he was no longer the first dog.
Photo: Andrew Meares

by
CaucusJames Massola | Political correspondent

Former prime minister
Julia Gillard
joked with her staff in her soon to be vacated office, moments after bowing out in a packed final press conference.

With a glass of red wine in hand, she invited staff back to The Lodge for a drink and asked them to help her break the news to her cavoodle, Reuben, that he was no longer the first dog.

Ms Gillard said she would finish her drink before visiting Governor-General
Quentin Bryce
and joked that people should not blame her if, afterwards,
Anthony Albanese
was accidentally named prime minister.

Senior staff, including chief of communications
John McTernan
and chief of staff
Ben Hubbard
, as well as senior advisers
Tom Bentley
and
Ryan Batchelor
, are on their way out of the Gillard office as the resurrected Prime Minister,
Kevin Rudd
, puts his stamp on the office.

Ms Gillard’s supporters and staff, including key union ally
Paul Howes
, remained at The Lodge until the early hours of Thursday morning as they marked the end of her prime ministership.

As the new day broke, staff working for Ms Gillard, former treasurer
Wayne Swan
and other former ministers began packing up their desks even as public servants measured the drapes for the incoming leadership team.

On Wednesday night in the Labor ­caucus room, Ms Gillard and
Mr Rudd
briefly addressed Labor MPs before voting – which was conducted two at a time and took about 30 minutes – started.

After the 57-45 vote had been declared, Mr Swan rose to address the assembled room. He praised Ms Gillard and announced his own resignation.